US President Donald Trump on Friday announced the appointment of Secretary of State Marco Rubio and former British prime minister Tony Blair as founding members of a new Gaza “board of peace.”Trump also named his special envoy Steve Witkoff, son-in-law Jared Kushner, and World Bank President Ajay Banga to the seven-member “founding executive board,” the White House said in a statement. Trump himself will chair the board, with additional members expected to be announced in the coming weeks.
Blair’s appointment is seen as controversial in the Middle East due to his role in the 2003 Iraq invasion. Trump said last year he wanted to ensure that board members were “acceptable choice[s] to everybody.”The announcement follows Thursday’s unveiling of the board, a key phase two element of the US-backed plan to end the war in Gaza. Trump described the board as the “Greatest and Most Prestigious Board ever assembled at any time, any place.”The creation of the board comes shortly after a 15-member Palestinian technocratic committee was announced to manage day-to-day governance in post-war Gaza. Gaza native and former Palestinian Authority deputy minister Ali Shaath will head the committee.Trump also named US Major General Jasper Jeffers to lead the International Stabilisation Force (ISF) in Gaza.The US-backed Gaza peace plan first went into effect on October 10, resulting in the return of hostages held by Hamas and a cessation of hostilities between the Palestinian militant group and Israel. The second phase of the plan is now underway, amid reports of aid shortages and ongoing violence.Hamas has not publicly committed to full disarmament, a key demand from Israel.
